Campbell: Silicon Valley Reads 2020 celebrates women

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Author Julian Guthrie, right, poses with the four successful women venture capitalists she profiles in her book ‘Alpha Girls’: Mary Jane Elmore, Theresia Gouw, Sonja Hoel Perkins and Magdalena Yesil. Guthrie will discuss her book Feb. 8 at the Los Gatos Library as part of this year’s Silicon Valley Reads, whose theme is ‘Women–Making It Happen.’ (Photo courtesy of Silicon Valley Reads)

In recognition of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the U.S., Silicon Valley Reads 2020 celebrates the achievements of women with books and events focused on the theme “Women–Making It Happen.” Authors of the two books selected for adult and teen readers will speak at public libraries in the West Valley area in February.

Julian Guthrie, author of “Alpha Girls,” will appear in conversation with broadcast personality Lissa Kreisler at the Los Gatos Library on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m. Guthrie’s bestselling book profiles four successful entrepreneurial women: Mary Jane Elmore, Theresia Gouw, Sonja Hoel Perkins and Magdalena Yesil. As leaders in the high-stakes world of venture capital, they were instrumental in the rise of such companies as Facebook, Tesla, Oracles, Trulia, Imperva and Salesforce.

Novelist Catherine Chung, author of “The Tenth Muse,” will speak at the Campbell Library on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m., and at Saratoga Library on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 10:30 a.m. Her award-winning book is about a trailblazing female mathematician whose research unearths her own extraordinary family history.

Silicon Valley Reads also recommends three books for children in grades PreK-8 that relate to the 2020 theme: “The Most Magnificent Thing” by Ashley Spires, and “Who Says Women Can’t Be Computer Programmers?” and “Almost Astronauts,” both by Tanya Lee Stone.

More than 175 public free events will be offered throughout Santa Clara County through the next two months including an art exhibit, films, panel discussions, workshops, speakers and activities for children, teens and families. The complete calendar of events can be found at SiliconValleyReads.org.

Several feature films and documentaries will be shown at the Campbell Library as part of Silicon Valley Reads 2020, including:

“Warrior Women,” a documentary about American Indian movement activists Madonna Thunder Hawk and her daughter, Marcy Gilbert, at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3.

“Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” about the Hollywood actress in the 1940s who was also a talented inventor, at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24.

“The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter” on Wednesday, March 4, at 7 p.m.

“Anita: Speaking Power to Truth,” a documentary about Anita Hill’s Congressional testimony in 1991, on Monday, March 23, at 7 p.m.

“Wonder Women” traces the evolution and legacy of the fictional superheroine on Monday, March 30, at 7 p.m.

“On the Basis of Sex,” a biographical legal drama about the early law career of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, on Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m.

Campbell Library will also host a STEM workshop for mothers and daughters to make magical circuit wands on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 2 p.m. Elaine Elinson, author of “Wherever There’s A Fight: How Runaway Slaves, Suffragists, Immigrants, Strikers and Poets Shaped Civil Liberties in California,” will speak at the Campbell Library on Monday, March 9, at 7 p.m.

Additional events at the Saratoga Library include:

A showing of the documentary “Raging Grannies” about the women of the Action League of the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula on Friday, Feb. 14, at 10:30 a.m.

A showing of the film “Hidden Figures,” the popular movie about the African-American women who played a vital role in NASA, at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24.

A workshop for kids in grades 3 and up titled “Learning from the Lemonade Stand,” led by Brian Weisfeld, author of The Startup Squad book series, on Saturday, Feb. 29, at 2 p.m.

A screening of the film “Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter” on Monday, March 9, at 7 p.m.

A showing of the film “Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women” about gender stereotypes and images on Monday, March 16, at 7 p.m.

All local public libraries will offer story times for young children and families featuring “The Most Magnificent Thing” by Ashley Spires, the Silicon Valley Reads picture book pick for 2020. Some story times may feature celebrity readers and crafts activities. An animated short film version of the book, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, will also be shown at libraries in February and March.

Another major event on the 2020 calendar is “Silicon Valley Reads Day at the Computer History Museum” on Saturday, March 28, which includes free admission to the Mountain View museum; a presentation by Claire L. Evans, author of “Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet;” an excerpt performance of the world premiere of “Coded” by the City Lights Theater Company; and a screening of the film “Great Unsung Women of Computing.” For free ticket reservations, email SVReads@aol.com.

Silicon Valley Reads, started in 2003, is presented by Santa Clara County Library, Santa Clara County Office of Education and San José Public Library. It selects books that reflect a theme relevant to the region and asks everyone in the community to read, think, discuss and share their diverse perspectives.

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